Towards wildlife management in tropical forests

Hunting of wildlife needs to be managed if the local extinction of species is to be prevented and the loss of an important natural resource for many people in the tropics is to be averted. According to available data and the use of simple sustainability models, there is a limited supply of wildlife due to the relatively low annual production of large mammals in tropical forests. Meanwhile, there is rising demand as the accessibility of tropical forests to hunters increases, human population densities grow, sedentary lifestyles become more prevalent and traditional hunting practices evolve. The growing demand is also due to the commercialization of the meat trade and the expanding demand in urban areas for wild meat.